


Dirty Dancing

by RobNips



Category: Dirty Dancing (1987), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dirty Dancing Fusion, Brotherly Love, Bucky as Penny, Clint as Baby, Deaf Clint Barton, Dirty Dancing, F/M, Natasha as Johnny Castle, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Slow Build, also horrible characterization of Kate so just a warning, but he's not really in it and it doesn't really matter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 07:17:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3682995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobNips/pseuds/RobNips
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spending the summer in a holiday camp with his family/circus tour, Clint Barton falls in love with the camp's dance instructor Natasha Romanoff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Kellerman's

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to do a Dirty Dancing AU, so I did. Enjoy

_The summer was one in 1963 - when we lived with the circus and traveled by train, and it didn't occur to me to mind. That was before President Kennedy was shot, before the Beatles came, when my only problem was whether anyone was trying to talk to me without me realizing, and I thought I'd never have anyone to ever look after me like my brother did. That was the summer we went to Kellerman's._

"Hey!" Barney faded voice just barely reached Clint, the older boy's elbow slamming into his side. "Come on, there's something going on."

Clint took his hands out of his pockets to reach out for Barney's arm, pulling him off the floor. The train had stopped its constant rocking only a few minutes ago, and Clint already felt the motion sickness start wearing off. The archer had impeccable balance, when it came to the show. Carson put him on in the big act nearly every other week, now that summer's going on again. Any time he didn't have the bow in his hands he was as clumsy as the rest of them.

The rest of them being the rest of the circus. Some clowns, the acrobats, the animal trainers, a strongman, the 'freaks' of the crew. Footless Fran, who had been a big fan of Clint and Barney since the older of the boy was the only one to help when she actually became "footless Fran". The big man himself, Carson. Not that many of them talked to the archer anyway, really only Barney and Clint's own trainer Buck, and sometimes even Jacques, could even stand to slow down enough to talk to the sixteen year old.

'Deaf' they called him. 'Retarded' from some of the more vulgar ones. He didn't care, he'd heard it all before. An expression, of course. But they were wrong. He could hear some things. Loud things, he could recognize familiar voices. Barney's. Buck's. Carson's, if he's hollering at him loud enough. He could hear garbled speaking around him but not understand unless he decided to lip read or just wing it. Barney's the only one to ever look out for him when his hearing troubles get him into actual troubles. Since Clint was still a minor and not a bank account to be seen, Carson paid Barney for all his performances. Barney always took care of himself, but never left Clint in the dirt. The older of the Bartons has an aggressive way of doing it, but Clint is always able to rely on him. 

And then there's Kate. Katie. Whatever he wanted to call her that day. Whatever Clint thought would annoy her that day. The spoiled one of their crew that somehow managed to get on board Carson's Carnival's train. Said she had runaway, from a presumably privledged lifestyle - if her attitude was anything to judge by. Found her niche in Carson's and stayed there.

Which took them back to here. The train stopping for what was supposed to be a few days, put on a show for the country clubbers at some place called Kellerman's. Clints never actually stepped foot in any of the buildings there. Just did his routine and went back to the train. They were all packed up, ready to leave. And that's when Barney called.

Clint hopped off the car of the train and followed the older of them, Kate in toe. "Are we stuck? How can we be stuck? I knew I should've bought those coral shoes from the last city, I never buy enough shoes to last me a whole stay. I'm won't have enough to wear!"

Clint saw Barney suppress a roll of his eyes out of the corner of his own, mumbling something along the lines of "Ya brought ten pairs. This ain't a tragedy."

They stopped in front of Carson, a man with oil on his jeans, and a crowd of other performers.

"What do you mean it'll take _weeks_ to get this fixed?" The Ringmaster of their show shouted loud enough even Clint heard a few words of it. He looked to Kate, but the younger one didn't show any sign of wanting to translate. The man Carson was currently expelling every curse word he knew to was facing away from Clint, so whatever was stopping them was a mystery to him.

So he stayed silent, some groans around him from the performers and Kate even crossing her arms like a child to show her displeasure. He let conversation carry on until they all dispersed, Barney grabbing him by the jacket to go back to their cart. "What's going on?"

Barney sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he pulled himself up on the cart. Legs swung out from the wooden, metal-lined train. "We're stuck here for a while." He shrugged, grabbing Clint's trunk from behind him and tossing it to the younger. "Apparently someone jacked some part of the train. It's gonna take at least a month, maybe months to fix it. We're stuck."

"So?" Clint set down his trunk and leaned over it, staying on the ground with Barney towering over him on the train. "Where're we supposed to stay?"

The brother shrugged. "Carson's friends with the guy who owns this place, we can stay." Barney hauled off his own trunk and hopped to the ground. "Don't fuck anything up and we won't be sleeping in the cart, alright?" He looked pointedly at Clint to make sure he was clear. "The only way we're staying here is if we act like everyone else. Don't go mingling with too many people and get yourself into some crap, alright?" 

Clint took the light hit to the chest and nodded as Barney passed. "I know." He hauled his trunk to rest on his shoulder, turning to follow his brother and nearly running right into him again.

"Don't freak out on me." He warned, finger pointing to the archer. "You don't hear something just guess what they want you to say. You get in trouble you come to me, don't worry about Buck."

The blond boy nodded again. "I know."

"Good." Barney gave him a grin, a fist pounding into his chest again. Love taps. "Enjoy yourself, it's the only vacation you'll ever get."

******

The employees of Kellerman's set them up as three people per cabin. Clint. Barney. Kate. A bunk and a single. They got away with saying they were all related.

"Katie's just a little sister." Barney gave the manager his most shit eating grin with an arm around the girl, ruffling her black hair. Only part of the obvious differences between them. "Mom was...a little promiscuous, that's all. The sins of the father are not always the sins of the son, right? Looks just like her dad."

The cabin manager only hummed and checked them off as family.

******

Clint managed to stand the week of doing whatever activity Kate dragged him off to. Barely.

"One! Two! Three! Four! Stomp those grapes and stomp some more!" The dance instructor Kate so _brilliantly_ thought of shouted at the top of his lungs. He seemed too enthusiastic to be real, Clint missed half the steps.

Clint wasn't stupid, he knew how music worked, just was never able to really enjoy it. Step to the beat, he could hear a beat. Just not when everyone else was elderly, incompetent, wore socks with sandals, or just stepped off of the beat. Katie got really into it, trying to help him find the rhythm.

"One! Two! Three! Four! Listen to the music!" The instructor swayed his long jacket back and forth, showing the group of people under the gazebo how the steps should work. He was the same age as Clint, probably a little older, definitely bigger, long hair tied back in a bun and the stupidest orange suit the carnie's ever seen, coming from his own opinion. The group stalled to start the other way, leaving Clint to step on someone's foot as Kate pulled him in the right direction. "One! Two! Three! Four! Dry your caboose and shake it loose! Stomp those grapes!"

People scattered as Clint lost Kate, relying on the instructor's lips. "Come on ladies! Follow me into a round-robin!" Women clung to the instructor's shoulders, Clint spinning helplessly. "Men! Inner circle!" Older guys grabbed the blond by the shoulder and dragged him around in a circle, kicking their feet to the music. There was something about maracas and shaking them, but by that Clint's eyes were on his feet.

"When I say stop!" The instructor shouted, shaking his hands to get attention. "Find the man or woman of your _dreams_!" Clint locked eyes with Kate, the instructor yelling stop and stepping right in front of Clint to steal his one hope of not looking like an idiot.

******

"I'm gonna look around the main house." The archer only alerted his brother to where he was going after he was already out the door.

The cabin wasn't big, but small enough for him to start getting stir-crazy. And after a near humiliating dance 'lesson' by the guy who was apparently a backup dancer for Elvis, he really wanted to be anywhere but around people he knew.

A path of stones laid out in front of the porch amused him for a moment, stepping on each of the slabs like he were a child again. The stones leading to the castle-like structure of the main house. Granite stone on the outside and lights illuminating each window. Porches stuck out on the second floor, with tables on them so people could look out to the lawn and the lake behind. Little red and white cabanas blocked the sun.

Clint trailed slowly on the porches, a few cabins before the woods, then the lawn. Kids of the rich families swam in the lake and over-enthusiastic employees made sure they were okay. Clint glanced into the dining hall, staying hidden behind a pole to watch the servers be lectured by some nephew or something of the owner of Kellerman's.

"There are two kinds of help here." Neil started with a smile, all the servers standing, looking almost bored, around him. "You waiters are college guys, and I went to Harvard and Yale to hire you. And why did I do that? Why?" He paused, tone getting slightly more aggressive. "I shouldn't have to remind you, this is a _family_ place. That means keep your fingers out of the water, hair out of the soup, and show the daughters and sons a good time...All of them." He pointed a finger. "Even the doggy looking ones. Schlep them out to the terrace, show them the stars. Romance them anyway you want!"

Clint rolled his eyes, at least explaining why the staff is so happy here. A crowd of men came through, a few girls. The head of which having the brightest red hair Clint's ever seen. Not counting the dye performers use.

"Got all that boys?" She smirked, sunglasses on even in the night's darkness and sleeve of her dress off her shoulder.

"Hold it! Entertainment staff! Hold it right there!" Neil Kellerman caught her by the shoulder, scowl on his face. Clint had to crane his neck to keep his eyes on their mouths. "Listen, wise asses, you people have your own rules. Dance with the kids. Teach them the mambo, the cha-cha, anything they pay for. And that's where it ends." He pointed a finger right at the girl as she put her head down, acting like the words bounced off her. "No funny business. No conversations. Keep your hands _off_!"

He pushed past the redhead and shoved a hand into another male's chest before storming off.

The waiters scoffed laughs at what Clint assumed to be the dancers, setting up table for the dining hall.

"Think you can keep that straight, Natasha?" One waiter teased her, the redhead rolling her eyes. "What you can and can't let lay their hands on you?"

She sighed as if she were bored, shaking her head. Clint raised a brow as she stepped towards the waiter, an almost intimidating presence. "Just put your pickle on everybody's plate, college boy. Leave the hard stuff to me." She placed a delicate finger on a carefully folded napkin, pushing it off the table.

******

Dinner was not as exciting or even relaxing as it should have been. The younger brother was currently leaning on the back of a chair, kicking his feet at the carpet. Katie, currently blabbering about some magazine she smuggled in when no one was looking, causing Barney to be the one wishing for the ever-being silence his brother had. Apparently Carson went way back with the Kellerman's. Part of the deal was that the circus crew had all expenses paid, besides breaking something or really going against the norm. Barney was soaking it up, practically waving the cash whenever he counted it.

Tables were set up around the sides of the room, leaving a dance floor in the middle. Another Kellerman approached their table, a male about Clint's age in a nice waiter's uniform had a towel draped over his hand.

"This will be your waiter. Robbie Gould." Kellerman introduced the man, exaggerating his syllables while making direct eye contact with Clint. He rolled his eyes, catching Kate nearly swooning over the Robbie. "Planning on going to Yale."

"Wow." Kate put her head in her hands, Kellerman leaving the table for Robbie to take over.

"I hear you all are special guests of Max." He smiled, fakely. Clint was immediately tipped off, but Barney wouldn't let it go.

"Yeah." The older brother shrugged, acting as if they were always treated like this. "You should keep it in mind."

And they ate. And ate. Anything Robbie suggested, Barney wouldn't turn down.

"Look at all the leftover food." He slapped his brother like it were an accomplishment. Some of the beer bottles that were empty on the table shook with it. "There still starving children?"

"I'm sure somewhere." Clint shrugged, thinking of about thirty countrie he could've listed off. "Southeast Asia."

He's read a lot, sue him.

"Right." Barney scoffed, waving down the waiter. "My brother wants to send his leftovers to Asia. Wrap it up, alright?" He smirked, Robbie smiled uncomfortably. "Kid thinks he's gonna save the world."

Clint glanced to the floor. "And what is Kate here going to do?" The archer thought about throwing up at the flattery.

"Decorate it." He deadpanned, everyone looking to him.

"She already does." Robbie defended, Kate nearly melting in her seat.

Now, he wants to throw up.

Barney looked like he was going to.

******

Before anything disastrous was set in stone, the older brother carted himself off back to the cabin. Kate was swooned by this Robbie onto the dance floor, loud music being blasted by a band up front. Most of the tables were empty, but Clint still sat, watching people twirl around the floor.

A loud beat came on and two dancers stormed the floor. The man with the bun - the apparent back up dancer for Elvis - started dancing seamlessly with the redhead from before. Natasha. Clint cocked his head, watching them twist and dip and march to a step like they were one people.

"It's a mambo!" Someone shouted in his ear beside him, causing Clint to move back. A skinny guy, maybe the same age as him. Blonde, but with a welcomed air around him. "Sorry, Steve." He held out a hand, Clint shook it a little awkwardly.

"Clint." He shrugged, sitting back in his seat and watching the dancers again. "Who are they?" He glanced over.

"The dance people. Entertainment staff." Steve shrugged, but watched them appreciatively. "Bucky's my cousin, partner's Natasha Romanoff." He watched, only glancing to Clint occasionally.

The two dancers stepped around the floor as if they were practicing since the beginning of their lives. Stepping together, back and forth, twirling away from each other and back.

"They really shouldn't be showing off like that." Steve shrugged again. "It won't sell lessons. That's what they do, you know. Dance lessons. you dance?" Clint raised a brow and shook his head. The pieces clicked together in Steve's head, the message went out about the deaf guest, but Clint was already looking back to the floor.

Natasha's leg slung over Bucky's shoulder, he dragged her across the floor in what could only be years of trust. Out of the corner of his eye Clint saw Max Kellerman cutting his throat with his hand.

"Don't think your boss likes it either." He hummed, tapping his fingers on the table.

Bucky lifted Natasha off the ground in a practiced spin, seeing Kellerman in the corner and nearly dropping the redhead. They paused awkwardly, looking at each other before separating. The two found other dance partners, dragging people back on the floor.

"The Kellerman way." Steve scoffed, tapping Clint on the shoulder. "Come on, you wanna get out of here? I know a place." He smirked, getting up from the table for Clint to follow him.

A dirt path leads out of the main house, lighted by solar lights, a soft glow on the ground. It winded through the woods, Steve leading the way to a kitchen-type house. Grabbing three large watermelons.

"Wanna give me a hand?" He rolled one of the watermelons in Clint's arms, the archer raising a brow.

"Where the hell are we goin'?" He sighed, taking the watermelon as Steve led the way again. A large cabin was in sight now, on the top of hill. Lights coming from the top floor. Silhouettes from the windows cast shadows onto the dirt ground around the cabin. Trees seemed to move with the shadows and Clint didn't register Steve talking to him.

"Hey!" The blond hit him with his foot.

"What?"

"I said can you keep a secret?" Clint shrugged, then nodded. "Your ringmaster guy'll kill you. Max will kill _me_." He smirked, starting up to the cabin.

The music was deafening as they neared.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pumping out chapters comes easier when you watch the movie as you write.

Clint stared dumbly into the staff quarters cabin, some soul-filled music being pumped into the air as the dancers moved with each other.

In a rather...surprising way. Considering the rest of the staff's behavior.

Men and women, clinging to each other like it was their wedding night. Hands on asses, hips locked together as they rocked to the music. Women bending over to lock their legs around the men's waists and bending over. The guys twisted down so their faces were by their partner's waists and sang to the song.

The room was filled with smoke from God knows where, creating this steamy air around the dancers. Hotter than hell, even if the lights were turned low as if they were hiding, but very obviously dancing to very obvious music.

Clint adjusted his grip on the watermelon as Steve juggled to keep hold. "Where'd they learn to do that?" He yelled to the smaller one.

"Where?" Steve shrugged, using his legs to push up the watermelon. "I don't know. But everyone's doing it in the basements back home." He smirked, hitting Clint's shoulder. "Wanna try it? C'mon, guy." He laughed when the other shook his head. "C'mon."

Steve lead them through the crowd, Clint awkwardly sliding around the dancers. Girls threw the skirts of the dresses at their partner's, some winked at him. Other's spun around each other, putting legs over waists or over their shoulders. Backsides rubbed against him as the dancers stared him down, like they were challenging Clint.

He was just happy when they finally reached the other side of the cabin.

"Can you imagine dancing like this on the main floor? The home of the family fox-trot!" Steve barked a laugh, Clint kept glancing between him and the dancers. They set the watermelons down on the tables to watch. "Max would close the place down first!"

The archer huffed a laugh, two dancers from the main house barging into the room. Natasha, Bucky, walking in like they owned the cabin. The redhead took a bottle out of someone's hand and drank what was left in it. Bucky dragged her to the floor, immediately adapting to the style of everyone else.

Clint craned his neck to watch them.

She kicked her leg up to the beat, dress trailing down her thighs as Barnes shook his hips with her's. They were already sweating with the friction between them and the heat of the cabin. Natasha trailed her hands through her hair, taking the red locks out of the perfectly placed pins. It fell down to her shoulders and twisted with her.

Bucky leaned back and Natasha turned away, dancing with another woman, swinging their arms to the song in sync like it was rehearsed. Bucky had two other guys holding him by the arms as he thrusted his hips into the air. Natasha backed up and the two men pushed Bucky against her, connecting their bodies again. They swung out their arms like they were swimming together as they rocked back and forth.

The chorus came back on and other dancers crowded the floor again, sometimes butting in with the two Clint was focused on. Sometimes girls would grab Natasha and swing their arms around again, all while Bucky stayed behind her.

"They look great together." Clint shrugged, rubbing his thumb into the palm of his hand.

"Yeah.." Steve nodded, crossing his arms with a grin on his face. "You'd think they were a couple."

Clint raised a brow, turning to really look at Steve to make sure he saw it right. "Aren't they?"

"Nah." Steve waved him off. "Not since they were kids."

Clint turned back to see Natasha sliding up Bucky's leg, the man pulling her up and then dropping her to do it again. She draped her arms around his neck, smiling before dropping back, bending so her hair was touching the floor, shaking her hips with his. Bucky laughed with his head back before pulling the red head up, lifting her until her knees were on his shoulders. Natasha wrapped her hands in the skirt of her dress, swinging it back and forth rapidly to the beat.

The music faded as the song ended, leaving Clint's range of hearing and Bucky dropped her back on stand on the floor of the cabin. People clapped and yelled and hugged each other, Natasha separating from Bucky as the next song started up. More yells of happiness as the dancing started again.

She trailed the floor, going from partner to partner, connecting easily with every dancer. Their hips were in sync and as soon as she was with them she left, moving on to the next.

Natasha glanced back to see Clint standing with Steve, moving gracefully across the floor to bump the little one with her hips. "Hey, sailor." She smirked, slinging an arm behind his back. "What's he doing here?" She nodded to Clint.

"Came with me." Steve shrugged, looking to Clint. "One of the circus guys."

Natasha raised a brow expectantly. "Yeah? Didn't see the show, you clean up elephant shit?" 

Clint licked his lips, feeling her gaze as she were decided whether to kill him or dance with him.

"I carried a watermelon." The archer blurted out, immediately wanting to take it back.

She chose the unlisted, worse option. Rolling her eyes and leaving.

Clint put his face in his hands, Natasha strolling back over to Bucky.

He watched them dance, more organized steps with a few thrusts there, a violent twist of the head here. The music nearly shook the floor, he bounced a little to the beat as he watched them.

The crowd split in two as the pair made their way down the aisle created for them, Natasha locking eyes with Clint as she twisted with Barnes.

The archer stopped his bouncing, just aware that it was most likely off beat. Natasha stuck out a finger, very obviously to him and bent it towards her. She held out a fair hand and Clint glanced to Steve, somehow disappeared. He sucked in a breath through his nose and let the red head drag him out to the floor.

"Bend your knees." She advised, taking his by the hips and making them move in a circle. "Stay low." Clint swallowed and circled his hips awkwardly, glancing around to others around them. A hand went around his chin and pulled him back to look at Natasha, Clint's eyes trailed up her arm to her eyes. "Watch me."

Clint nearly snorted at how he twisted his hips, rolling his shoulders with her's as Natasha crept closer to him. "Good." She praised, draping an arm over his shoulder. "It's good. Now swing this way." They changed the motion of their hips, Clint clenching his teeth as she moved closer.

"Watch." She yelled to him, thrusting her hips up to his, Clint followed, a beat behind her, but he followed. "Good!"

Natasha laughed and locked her arms around his neck, moving her hips and forcing his to move with her. Clint grinned slightly and danced with her, rocking from one foot to the other as she moved him along. Natasha trailed her hands down his arms and bent back again, gracefully pulling herself up. Her arms locked on his neck again and the swung back and forth, jerking from side to side.

The song started to fade, Natasha leaving Clint to dance by himself. Others clapped around him and Clint stuttered to a stop, clapping dumbly as if he weren't just the last person to dance.

The blond huffed a laugh, brushing back his hair that gathered some sweat. He craned his neck to look for Natasha, but seeing nothing.

******

Another beautiful idea for an activity for the next day involved Kate yet again dragging Clint with her. At least he didn't really have to participate.

A wig contest for female guests, he was just there for moral support.

By moral support, he sat in the plastic chair in the sand, digging his toes into the whiteness.

It wasn't too bad, he just sat silently next to her in the shade, a breeze from the lake kept him cool. But Barney decided it wasn't worth leaving the fancy air conditioned cabin to listen to Kate hum and drum about every wig. Clint didn't blame him either, but it was just easier to go with the younger archer.

He watched the sand fall over his toes and lifted up so it could pile back up on the ground. A tall shadow came up in front of him, and the girls trying on wigs. Bucky, a dark jacket draped over his left arm. Clint lickede his lips and sunk in his chair, not forgetting the other night.

"You look ten years younger." He flattered an elderly woman, walking around the table and wringing his hand together.

Clint moved his eyes back to Kate, Robbie Gould trailing up behind her. "Ask not what your waiter can do for you, but what you can do for your waiter."

"Robbie!" The younger girl shrieked, adjusting the bright, curly. blonde wig over her hair.

The waiter smiled. "You know, if tips keeps up, I'll have enough for an Alfa Romeo." He winked at the younger girl.

"That's my  _favorite_  car." Katie blinked with the biggest eyes she could create.

Clint rolled his eyes in his seat, spotting Natasha move to sling an arm around Bucky's waist at the end of the table. "All you ladies look lovely." She smiled, Clint sat up in the plastic chair.

Kate hit his arm, making the archer look. "I said will you cover for me tonight?" She exaggerated her words. Clint shrunk again in the seat, glancing to Natasha only for Kate to hit him again. "Tell Barney I don't feel well or something?"

"Where're you goin'?" He shrugged a shoulder.

"The golf course." She shrugged, a little twinkle in her eye. "There's a pretty view from the first tee." The girl squeezed his shoulder as a thanks before Clint could even answer. Taking off her wig before abandoning him at the table.

Clint sighed, looking back to Natasha. "Thanks, Buck." She smiled at the taller man, giving him a peck on the cheek before turning to leave.

Clint swallowed, watching the red head go. He sucked in a breath and pushed himself out of his chair. He ran a hand through his hair, tapping Bucky on the shoulder to get attention.

"Were you really a backup dancer for Elvis?" He tried to seem like it wasn't blowing his mind. "I think you're a really good dancer."

Bucky shrugged a shoulder, organizing the wigs to keep his hands busy. "Parents kicked me out when I was younger. Dancing what I've been good at, it's all I've ever done." He adjusted the jacket over his arm, like he was keeping it hidden. "Part of the circus, right?"

Clint nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah."

Barnes looked at him, almost suspiciously. "You don't really clean up elephant shit, do you?"

"We don't have elephants." Clint answered, digging his toes into the ground again. 

Barnes scoffed, looking at the younger man before shaking his head. He closed whatever box he was working in and tucked it under his shoulder, leaving Clint in the sand.

******

Once Barney finally sobered up after a few days of living with money in his pocket, Clint was able to drag him out to a gazebo as a cover for Kate.

Paper lanterns lit the lawn, strung on the edge of the enclosure. The brothers sat on the railing, Clint hunched over and watching the dance instructors with their older students. Natasha among them.

An older man draped himself over her, hands on her sides and trailing up her back. They stood close and stayed that way, unnecessary for the dance they were currently doing. She was putting on a face, Clint could tell, let them climb over her for something he didn't understand. But he has seen her happy, she was happy with Bucky, she was happy when she was dancing for real.

"No dancing for you boys tonight?" Kellerman approached both the Bartons on the rail.

Barney shook his head, cracking a knuckle. "Not tonight."

"Oh, Max." The man clinging to Natasha called out for the owner, making a show of keeping his hands on her hips as she spun under his arm. "Are the dance lessons starting to pay off?" He smirked.

"Looks great, Ivan." Kellerman held up what Clint knew as the letter F, nodding to the dancers. "Terrific." He turned back to the men, blowing out a breath through pursed lips. "Ivan Petrivich. One of men who only come here on the weekends."

Clint raised a brow, Kellerman offering the information easily to them. Barney sat up to cross his arms, leaning against a support beam to listen to the owner.

"Wives think they come up with the guys every weekend, come to play cards." The older man shrugged, waving down the man who was currently studying Natasha's back as they danced elegantly. "Going back down on Monday?"

"Monday." He assured, not taking his eyes off the red head.

"He's away a lot." Max sighed, looking to Barney and Clint. "It's a hardship."

Clint averted his eyes, seeing Neil Kellerman come up to pull Natasha away from Ivan.

"Where's Barnes?" He asked the girl, Natasha shrugging innocently.

"What do you mean, 'where's Barnes' ?"

"James. Everyone's been asking for him all night." Neil pressed.

Ivan took Natasha's shoulder from behind, dancing even if she wasn't paying notice to him. "He's taking a break. He  _needs_  a break." Clint watched her eyebrows crease as her tone got sharper.

Neil shook his head. "Make sure it's not an all-night break."

The nephew stormed out of the gazebo, Clint gritting his teeth and swinging his legs over the rail of the balcony. "I'm taking a walk." He muttered to Barney before jumping down to the lawn.

He heard the older one yelling something at him but he acted like it didn't register, starting to the dock on the lake.

Black in the night, Clint sat on the edge of the dock, hanging his feet over the end. Water tickled at his toes and he tried to imagine to crickets chirping in the woods next to him. Lights reflected off the small waves, different colors from the lanterns in the gazebo spreading wide over the water.

Clint sighed, flopping down to lay on his back. The brightness of the light hanging over him on the start of the dock flickered as two came out of the woods. Clint followed their shadows, eyes widening as Kate came out of the bushes.

She pulled up her sleeves, the blond squinted to see their mouths in the dark.

"..Wait-...apology, Robbie." He managed to catch Kate's harsh words.

Robbie trailed after her, rolling his eyes. "Keep dream-, Kate. Go back to serious (?)...wait."

Kate shook her head, pulling on a sweater and trailing her fingers through her hair. She shouted something Clint barely caught but didn't understand before running off. The waiter shook is head exasperated and jogged after her.

******

He eventually found himself in the kitchen, the shining thin metal of the tables softly reflecting the harsh lights overhead of the other side of the ovens.

The archer nearly ran into Neil Kellerman, attention focused on fingers tapping the tables.

"And what are you doing back here?" He pushed the younger back, Clint biting his lip.

"Hungry. Max said Carson's people can have whatever we want." He shrugged innocently, glancing purposefully towards the fridge. "I don't think he was lying to us."

The nephew of the owner hummed, looking over Clint. "Fine. What do you want?"

He put on an obviously fake tone, worse than the other employees. At least the others were convincing.

"Let's see…" Neil hummed and opened the fridge, facing away from Clint as he started listing off food items. The archer scoffed silently, scanning around the room. A few dark corner he could only imagine held rats, but what he landed on was something else.

Barnes.

Left arm held close to his chest, eyes locked with Clint and shaking as if he were going to throw up. He was breathing heavy, but Neil didn't seem to notice it. Clint squinted, leaning to peek over the shelves to see the dancer with his knees drawn up to his chest. The arm pinned behind his legs were barely visible, but Clint made out the nearly grotesque looking outline on the skin. Veins popping out, dark bruises Clint was familiar with around the joints. The dancer's eyes were red, almost sunken in.

"Neil." Clint interrupted the manager's listings. "I should check on Ka- my sister. She doesn't feel well, you know?"

The older boy raised a brow, opening his mouth. "I thought were-"

"I'll find something later." He lied easily, rolling off his tongue. Clint grabbed the man by the arm and tried as casually as he could to lead him out the kitchen.

******

Clint ran back over through the lawn once he got rid of the manager, finding Steve at the edge of gazebo. He rapidly spilled out what he saw, and the skinny employee pushed his way through the crowd of dancers to Natasha. He relayed the information, Natasha quickly excusing herself from the man currently over her to push out of the gazebo.

Clint followed to two, Steve and Natasha throwing conversation back and forth too quickly for Clint to keep up. "Hey," He called after, Natasha glancing back to roll her eyes before continuing on the path. "What's wrong with him?"

Steve stopped, holding a hand out to stop Clint in the chest. "It's some kind of...weird. Thing. Drug thing. Whatever it was, it's ripping him apart."

"Rogers!" Natasha hit him hard, Steve rubbing the spot. Clint took a step back, Natasha shaking her head before turning back again.

"What're they gonna do about it?" He asked more, a few seconds after they started following each other again.

Natasha paused again, turning to shove him in the chest. " 'They'? Because it' my fault? Because I'm always with him it's my problem when he messes something up?"

"No- I," Natasha was already moving away.

******

"Bucky?" Steve called out when they reached the kitchen, Clint moving past them to lead the way.

The older man was in the same place, eyes screwed shut and teeth gritting against each other. He shook with pain and Natasha knelt down in front of him, whispering what Clint couldn't hear.

"Just hurts...I'll be fine." Bucky tried to assure them but Natasha shook her head. "I swear, I'll be...Natasha, I-"

The woman cut him off, grabbing his good arm and hauling him up. Steve took his other side and helped him out of the kitchen. "

"Don't be stupid. You'll be alright." Clint caught the words just as they passed him.

******

"You're in trouble, you come to me, alright?"

Clint sat on the edge of the couch, the three sat in one of the cabins, near the large one from the other night. Cleared out, couches spread out and lanterns lighting the small rooms. Bucky had a jacket draped over his shoulders, Steve pouring drinks and Natasha rubbing his shoulder.

"You should have come to us in the first place." She took him by the chin and made him look at the pills on the table. Clint assumed for pain, or hoping that they'd learned from the apparent last time.

The injured one shook his head. "Forget it, Romanoff. I'm not taking your salary….Wouldn't be enough anyway." He flicked the pills off the table, clenching his jaw as he reached for the bottle of whiskey from Steve. "Hopeless."

Clint fidgeted in his seat, running his hands over each other. "Can't be  _hopeless_." He offered, Bucky turning to glare at him.

"You're one of the carnies, right?" He spat at the blond, Clint straightening out in the chair. They had this exact conversation barely over a day ago. Clint stayed silent. "Yeah? Well you don't know shit about what's happening here, alright? So shut it."

Steve adjusted himself on the couch, putting his hands between his knees. "I told him."

"What?" Bucky hit his good arm on the table, glasses of whiskey shaking with the bottle. Clint flinched, Natasha only sighed. "Are you crazy? Now he's gonna tell his Ringmaster boss, and we're all gonna get fired!" Natasha put her hand on his arm, but he kept going. "Might as well write it in the sky, Steve. Bucky shot himself with Robbie's homemade bullshit!"

"Robbie?" Clint squinted, looking to see if he caught what Bucky was actually yelling about. "He-?"

"Clint." Steve stopped him, bolting up from the couch to grab his shoulder. "Look, look...one of the counselors knows a doctor. He's a  _real_  M.D. He's supposed to be coming around here for just one day. Next week." Clint shot a look around the room, Bucky with his head in his hand, Natasha standing defensively. "We can get an appointment. But it's almost $250."

"Well, it's  _Robbie_. There's not problem." Clint swung his arms out at the three. "The guy has money...If you tell him, and it's fault-"

"He knows, retard." Bucky stopped Clint in his tracks, the archer shoving his hands in his pockets and swallowing thickly. "No way he's gonna admit anything." The dancer shook his head, swirling the drink in hand. "Go back to your tents, carnie."

Clint let out a breath, shrinking back before the three and pushing out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Never ask me to write another sexy dance scene again. It's more difficult than previously thought. 2) Bare with me with Bucky's plot line, I'm not well-versed in 'arm diseases'.


	3. Practice

"So you think you're telling me what's right?" Robbie scoffed at Clint, dodging around another table to fill the glasses with water.

The blond followed around, holding the plate of bagels for the older boy. The waiter insisted that if they were to talk, Clint's at least helping him set the tables. "They told me  _you're_  the one who made the stuff for him, just-"

"Look." Robbie stopped him, taking a bagel and placing it perfectly on the plate. "I did  _not_  waste a summer hauling toasted bread just to bail out some  _dancer_  who's probably taking everything from everyone."

He tipped the plate Clint held with his fingertip to keep it from spilling.

"Some people count. Some people don't." He shrugged. "You're just lucky Kellerman has a thing with your boss. Otherwise you'd be on the other side."

Clint gritted his teeth, hands curling around the edges of the plate. "Stay away from my sister." He warned, dropping the bagels to sprawl on the floor.

* * *

Clint found Barney on the golf course, lining up a practice put.

"Hey," The older Barton greeted, making a show of spinning his club in his hand. "You realize we've never done this before?"

"Yeah, yeah." Clint shrugged him off, blurting out what he wanted to say. "Someone's in trouble."

"You mean besides us never playing golf before?" He smirked, taking a shot with the putter. Only a few feet from the hole, a perfect sink. "You're not the only one with perfect aim."

"And you told me if I was in trouble you'd help." Clint continued on, pushing him by the shoulder to make Barney look at him.

"Yeah,  _you_." He pushed his brother in the chest. "If  _you're_  in trouble. Not one of the other freaks in the show." Barney shook his head and lined up another shot.

"It's not them." The blond insisted. "I need $250. Can I borrow some?"

Now that made the older one look up, scanning his brother skeptically. "What'd you do?"

"It's not for me, I need it."

"Listen, it's a lot of money, Clint. What the hell'd you do?"

"It's not  _me_." Clint pushed him by the arm. "I can't tell you, you gotta help me with this."

"It's Kate?"

"No."

Barney squinted, Clint rolled his eyes.

"Or if you want I can tell Carson where all his booze that mysteriously disappeared from the train went." The archer crossed his arms, cockng his head to the side. He raised a brow expectantly.

Barney glared at the younger boy, clenching his teeth. "I'll have it before tonight."

* * *

"Again." Jacque ordered Clint from where he stood from the side.

They found a field away from the general population of Kellerman's, mostly to not attract attention and keep Clint's wow factor with his bow a secret until the next show. But they were stuck here, as long as the train was still jacked, and there's not a chance in hell that his trainer would let Clint skip out on practice for nearly a month. Many times he's been told that if it wasn't for his eyes, he wouldn't be in the circus at all. Not even if they needed someone to shovel shit. 

Five targets were set up around the field, of varying heights and varying sizes. Clint had his bow in hand, fingers feeling raw from the hours of practice even with his guards on. Arrows stuck out of each of the targets, all centered at the bullseye, with only one sticking in the blue in the target that was at an awkward angle for him. 

He let out a deep breath, lining up his shot. A breeze blew by them and he could feel Jacque's eyes on him, judging whether Clint was adjusting for the wind. Of course he was. He relaxed his shoulders and his fingers, letting the arrow fly and land itself right in the target's center. He wasted no time before spinning on his heels, lining up another shot in a split second and the second arrow made a 'thunk' as it hit its target. Three more times he spun and repeated his process, each arrow burying itself in the bullseye as planned.

"Better." Jacque noted. It was perfect, exactly what the exercise was meant for, but Clint took what he could get. "Left foot up. Again." The trainer ordered.

Clint sighed, but listened. He lifted his left leg, toes pointed to the ground like some yoga pose. He eobvldd just in the slightest as he adjusted his balance, and knocked an arrow before repeating the exercise with only one foot planted on the ground.

* * *

Clint barely managed to remember where the staff cabin was.

He didn't have Steve to run into and he couldn't ask around, so he followed trails until he found the soft lights and blaring music. People danced the same way they did the other day, but slower and smoother to the song overhead.

The archer wormed his way through the crowd of people, waving some of the smoke away in the room. Bucky and Natasha danced in the corner, not taking up as much spotlight as they usually did. Clint awkwardly rocked on his feet for a moment, watching them cling to each other. Barnes had his arm wrapped, hiding whatever gruesomeness by passing it off as a compression sleeve.

"Hey," He goaded them, taking Natasha by the arm for only a moment before she sent a glare his way. "C'mere." Clint left them away from the dance floor as they separated.

"What?"

"I have your money." He shrugged, digging the bills out of his pocket. A rubber band held them tightly together.

Bucky's brow furrowed. "Robbie gave this to you?"

"No." Clint shook his head, shoving his hands into his sleeves. "You were right about him. He's a piece of shit."

"You steal it?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"No..you, you said you needed it." The blond shrugged.

"It this kid for real?"

"Yeah." Natasha scoffed, crossing her arms. "Takes a saint to ask someone else for it."

Clint shifted in his spot, glancing to the floor before the sound of Bucky's garbled speaking caught up to him.

"Thanks kid." He shrugged, holding it back out. "But I can't use it. We have an act on Thursday night at the Sheldrake. The only appointment's for Thursday night." The older man sighed, looking around. "If we cancel we'll lose this year's salary and next year's gig."

"What's the Sheldrake."

"Another hotel. Where we do a mambo act."

"Someone could fill in for him."

" _Look_ , Mr. Fix-It." Natasha butted in again, hitting his shoulder. "Someone else could  _not_  fill in. Steve's incompetent when it comes to his feet, Tony's working all day, and Bruce has to fill in for Bucky.  _Everyone_  has got to work." The red head swallowed, laughing some at the blond. "What, you want to fill in? Take time off from Simon Says with the freaks?"

Clint looked at his feet, shifting his weight as Bucky started again.

"It's not a... _horrible_  idea." He shrugged.

Natasha stared at him. "It was a joke."

"He can move." Bucky offered, hitting Clint's shoulder.

"That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard, James." Natasha scowled, shaking her head at her old friend.

"I can't dance." The archer scoffed, looking between the two of them.

"He can't even  _hear_." Natasha threw her arms out at him, Clint shrugged in acceptance.

"She's not lying."

"You're a strong partner, Nat." Bucky insisted, looking to the younger. "You can lead  _yourself_ , all the kid's gotta do is step around you."

"You heard him, James. He can't hear anything, he can't dance." She shook her head, running a hand through her curls. "He can't do it. There's no way on this Earth that he could do this. He can  _not_  do it."

Clint pursed his lips. Now it sounded more like a challenge.

* * *

" _No_!" Natasha scolded him for the third time, Clint stepping back without her. "You don't step on the one, you step on the two. I told you. I'd blink on the one,  _then_  you step back and keep counting."

"Sorry." Clint forced out, rolling his eyes and resetting his position. He lined up with her frame, one hand out and the other on her waist.

"It's 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. The music starts. I blink. You say 'two' in your head and move back. Do not step as I blink."

"Alright. Got it." Clint held up his hands, Natasha grabbing them with strength.

"Frame." She looked in his head, hearing the music in her own ears and blinking. He lifted his foot. "No." She warned, pausing a few seconds before stepping again with him. "There."

She stepped back, he stepped forward with her. She stepped forward, his foot crushed her toes. "Ow." She scolded.

Clint groaned in frustration.

* * *

"2, 3, 4. 2, 3, 4." The redhead chanted the rhythms, trying to guide Clint as he stumbled through the steps.

Natasha held one hand on his waist and the other on his back, Clint forced to watch himself waddle awkwardly in the mirror. Twist your hips, she told him. He tried.

"Should-ers back! Don't look down!"

She spoke to the rhythm of the music, adjusting him every other beat.

"2, 3, 4. 2, 3, 4. 2, 3, 4. 2, 3, 4. 2, 3-"

A hand grabbed him by the chin and forced Clint to look up again. The archer dropped his arms from the frame he held and pushed her away, scrubbing his hands through his hair.

"Again." She pressed, forcing his arms back up. "Concentrate."

* * *

There was a bridge in front of the staff cabin away from everyone. Everyday, standing like a duck in the middle of the bridge was Clint.

Arms out in the frame position and stepping awkwardly. Twisting the ankles, stepping forward and back. Counting in his head. Keeping his head up. Shoulders back.

Up the steps, he counted, moving his feet.

* * *

"Keep your chin  _up_." Natasha locked her hand around his jaw. Making him look. "I can't talk to you if you don't look at me."

"Wow. Never thought of that." Clint maintained eye contact, even with her glaring.

"Steps aren't enough." She hummed, sticking her nose up as they spun as the routine said. "You need to feel the music."

"Tell me when you figure that out, I'd love to know how."

"It's a  _feeling_ , Barton." She stopped, pushing his arms out for him to drop them. "A heartbeat." She put her hand over her heart, waiting for Clint to mirror her. "Ga-gung." She tapped twice. "Ga-gung."

Clint slapped his chest stupidly, only half on purpose.

"Don't try so hard." She shook her head, speaking softer. She grabbed his hands, putting them over her heart. "Ga-gung." The red head raised a brow, a soft smile.

Clint glanced from her chest to her eyes, nodding.

"Now step with me." She patted the top of his hand to her heart beat. "2, 3, 4." Natasha started lightly, Clint stepping with her. "2, 3, 4. Breathe." She smiled.

Clint didn't take his eyes off her's.

* * *

"Head up." Natasha tapped his chin once again, but they didn't stop their smooth steps to the music. "Lock your frame."

Clint clenched his jaw, tightening the muscles in his arms, sweat running down the sides of his forehead. The middle of summer now raged their dog days, and the cabin, like most, didn't have an air conditioner. But it was private, surrounded by the woods and only one side open to the lawn. Bucky stood in the corner, casually holding his arm against his chest as the two danced.

"Spaghetti arm." Natasha scolded, dropping her frame to readjust. "Look." She gestured to the space between her open arms. "My dance space," She held up his arms to be in position. "Your dance space. "I don't go into your's, you don't go into mine. You have to  _lock_  your frame. Again."

She nodded to Bucky, who dropped the needle on the record and moved to stand behind Clint. Hands adjusted the archer's shoulders, straightened out his waist. Bucky put one hand on his back and the other on his hip, making sure Clint stayed in the correct place as Natasha started moving again.

Clint smiled at Natasha, who only nodded in approval as they stepped on the beats.

* * *

She made him practice holding his arms over her head as she twirled, pushing his arm up whenever it nicked the top of her head.

She yelled and forced his chin up whenever he didn't look at her.

She made sure his arm was locked whenever she needed to hold him while she twisted.

She made him wear the shoes he'd be wearing for the show.

She made Bucky dance with him to make sure he did it just like Bucky.

She placed her hands over his waist to make sure they were moving right.

But mostly, she just made sure he didn't screw up her chances of getting paid.

* * *

"Back. Easy." She guided him through each steps, rain thundering down on the cabin and thunder occasionally shaking the floor. "I turn, -urn. Watch me!" She yelled in the middled. "Down. Lift - we'll do that later, come on," Natasha lifted herself on her toes momentarily to fake a lift and continued on with the steps. "Down, I twist, Watch!" The dancer yelped as Clint let go of her hand, sending her down to bend her ankle awkwardly to keep from falling.

Clint backed up as soon as he dropped her, more worried about a backlash attack than his mistake. "Sorry, I-"

"Are you trying to kill me?" The red head pulled herself back up, rubbing the ankle that had bent awkwardly when she fell. "You have to  _concentrate_ , is this your idea of fun?"

Clint sucked in a breath and shook his head. "Oh,  _yeah_. As a matter of fact it is." He ran his hands through sweaty blond hair. "We're supposed to do the show in two days, you won't show me lifts, I'm not sure about turns, I'm doing all this to save  _your_  ass, when I really just want to drop you on it."

The archer scoffed and turned on his heel, pacing lightly around the shed-like storage cabin.

Natasha grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at her, but no scold ready at her tongue.

"Then let's get out here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like sexy dance scenes, montages are also difficult to write.


	4. Lifts

"I locked the keys in the car!" Natasha shouted fruitlessly over the rain, water pouring down her rain jacket as she left Clint to get soaking in front of the car. Clint didn't have the attitude to tell her yelling wasn't going to help any. "Get me that post,"

She crossed her arms, Clint not bothering to argue and digging his foot into the mud to loosen one of the light posts buried in the ground. He yanked it out with relative ease, the circus labor - among other things - giving him strength. Natasha took it from him before he could ask, swinging the post into the back window of the car.

"Jesus!" Clint half laughed, glass shattering as Natasha unlocked the car from the inside through the window. Natasha only sighed, throwing the post away to open Clint's door for him.

The archer didn't move, letting the rain pour over him as Natasha rolled her eyes. "You're getting wet, right?" She urged him in the car, albeit a little condescendingly. She slammed the door once the archer was in the car.

She smirked at him from the driver's seat, zipping through the narrow roads of Kellerman's. Clint laughed, shaking his head at her. "You're crazy." He huffed, rubbing at his ears.

"What?" She shouted again over the rain pounding at the windshield.

"You're crazy!" He shouted with her, laughing again as her smirk faded into a smile.

* * *

Eventually the rain slowed to a stop, leaving the thick trees dripping with wetness and dirt roads turned into mud. Natasha drove them into a forest, peeling off her shoes and making Clint do the same.

The archer perched himself on a toppled log, bare feet easily finding their place as he hardened his stance, holding out his arms. "Just like a trapeze." He mumbled to himself.

Natasha climbed up next to him, standing face to face with her arms out like his. "Now," She started, pulling his chin up to look at her and catch her words. "The most important thing to remember in lifts,"

"Is balance." Clint finished for her, smiling some. The words had been etched in his mind ever since him and Barney found the circus.

"Exactly." She smiled with him, quickly twisting it into a smug grin and bent her knees. Clint frowned seconds before she sprang up, landing hard on the log like a poised ballerina.

"Whoa.." Clint stumbled but quickly regained his footing, just like she did as the log wobbled beneath them. He laughed again as she stepped back to find her balance, falling on his backside on the log with the distraction.

"You do have it." She praised, knowing the fall was purposeful. "I've seen you training, with those men. You do have balance, and you do have talent. You just need to figure how to use it for dancing."

Clint sighed, looking away when she finished to the woods around them. He didn't tell anyone he was leaving, it was too rash of a decision. The mention of Buck and Jacques did poke his stomach. He'd skipped out on his trainers two times already for a practice with Natasha. He doubted Barney, or even Kate, would cover him anymore.

"Where'd you learn to dance?" Clint changed the subject from him, turning to Natasha still standing on the log.

"Well," She sighed, gracefully dropping down on the log to face him properly. "I was small, I wanted to do ballet. You know, typical girl." She shrugged, but Clint was hooked on her words. "Snuck into a few lessons, learned the moves. Dragged James in with me sometimes to watch from behind the curtains. We learned together.

"When I was old enough, I only knew a few things, but I was able to get a job here as a waitress. A guy came into the kitchen one day, and we were all sitting around doing nothing. And he said, Arthur Murray, was giving a test. To dance instructors. So, if you passed, they'd teach you all these different dances. Break them down, show how to teach them to others."

She shrugged again, lifting to her feet on the log. Natasha paused for a while, and after wiggled to music Clint couldn't hear, and guessed that she couldn't hear it either. "What are you-"

"C'mere." She hooked a finger at him, pulling him up. "How good are you really at at balancing?" She said it as a challenge, holding out a frame for Clint to match her, stepping back on the log and having him follow.

Clint laughed and followed her, stepping easily on the small surface as she danced more intricate moves around him.

Eventually the laughs turned into childish giggles, Natasha's dancing turning into something more like what a monkey would do. And Clint's being something even more atrociously bad.

* * *

"Okay." Natasha started, both of them of them now standing in an open field with only tall grass around them. "Lock your knees." Clint followed, facing her with his arms out like he's catching a ball. "And trust me. You'll hurt me if you don't trust me. You're strong enough to lift me, just act like it's a show."

Clint nodded, standing how she showed him as she started towards him. He grabbed her waist and lifted, Natasha bending before he could lock his elbows. He ended up almost throwing her over her head. She shouted something he couldn't process, probably something about him almost dropping her, but he didn't. Caught her so they ended up in a pile together on the ground.

"You...cr-s(z?)-? ... -st f-... pped me!"

Clint wasn't able to catch every single words she said, but it was pretty simple to put together what Natasha was saying. The redhead got up, brushing off her pants before starting to pace around Clint, still on the ground. He watched her shoulders smoothly relax as she placed a hand on her forehead. She circled Clint one more time before stopping before him, an inch from blocking the sun behind her, and sending it right into Clint's eyes.

The archer slapped a hand over his brow to block the sun, eyes squinting just in time to catch the last word of her sentence.

"..wet."

Clint blinked dumbly at her.  _Say what you think they want to hear._  Barney's words rung in his head.

"Yes?"

Natasha dropped her arms, stepping that inch needed to block sun from his face.

"I said, the best place to practice lifts is in the water. You can drop me all you want, all that happens is we get a little wet."

* * *

Her brilliant idea brought them back to camp, but in a more secluded area. A 'private area for private swimming lessons' that was hardly ever used anymore. Surrounded by thick woods, a fog from the storm that happened only hours ago concealing them.

Natasha repeated herself as they faced each other in the water. "You're strong enough to hold me."

"Right." Clint shrugged, holding out his arms.

She started towards him. The archer's hands caught her waist as she jumped and he lifted over his head. He let out a breath, hearing her shout something over him but having no way of figuring out what. They did establish a system. Right toes bent if they were good, left toes bent if something was wrong. He stared at her feet, now bare as his were in the water, and a smiled graced his lips as the right toes curled in.

They repeated the move, Clint's arms eventually wearing out to the point of dropping her every other time. The last, he fell back into the water with her, expecting a command of 'do it again' when he surfaced.

He found her laughing instead.

Whatever water had gotten in her mouth was spit out by her laughing, staying so her shoulders just peaked out of the water. Clint watched her for a few short seconds before eventually chuckling too, which in turn made her laugh harder, and the same with him.

She pushed herself towards him, pulling her hair back from her face and pushing Clint's away from his. "I'm sorry." She laughed, shaking her head. "That one was me."

The carnie shrugged, not moving away when she brushed his sopping hair back. "Gettin' tired anyway."

Natasha laughed again, and Clint's ears caught wind of the garbled noise from her being so close to him.

Warmth pooled in his stomach at the sound.

* * *

"I can't believe this is tonight." Clint wrung his hands together, fingers cracking at the tension and making Bucky look.

The two were walking up to the dance lesson cabin, an old couple walking out as they walked in. Light filtered through the white wood of the dressing/locker room, Bucky wasting no time before handing Clint the suit he were to wear. Expensive threads, more intricate weaving than his costume for Carson's shows. Not that Clint really  _loves_  to show that off.

The archer created his frame as Bucky behind him pinned a few things so the suit would fit.

"I'll keep my shoulders down, my head up..frame locked. Stay on the toes..." He went through the seemingly endless laundry list of rules for dancing. "What if I forget what to do?" Clint sighed, dropping his arms to the side.

Bucky rounded him, shrugging his good shoulder and facing him like Natasha told him to do. "Just watch Nat. She's a strong partner, you don't even have to lead."

"I'm gonna fall on my face." Clint scoffed, rubbing an ear when Bucky circled him again. "No..I-, I'll not look down, eyes open-"

He stopped himself when Bucky tapped his arm, really looking at the archer.

"Thanks, Clint." The older said quietly.

The blond dropped his arms to look at him properly.

Bucky swallowed thickly. "Look, I don't want you to think I...I don't know. I'm not one of those guys who needs something to get through the day, or I'll just take whatever I could get. Whatever Robbie told you, it was a bad moment and I thought I could trust him." He paused, waiting to see if Clint gave him a reaction, but the archer kept his face blank. "Anyway, I just wanted you to know that."

Clint blinked, silently letting out a breath. He let the silence lap between them for a second, before nodding and holding out his arms, suit fitted around him. "Looks good?"

Bucky scoffed, lip shaking just the slightest as the small smile fell. "I'm nervous."

"About me?"

The older stayed quiet. "About everything." He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Don't be." Clint told him, almost automatically. "You'll be fine. Me and Natasha'll be fine….You'll be fine."

Bucky shook his head, hand going up to push his hair back without a word. Clint saw his adam's apple bob in his throat.

"You'll be fine."

* * *

Clint swallowed as he watched men and women parade into the bingo-building.

Dressed nicely, all of them, two by two marched through the door a waiter held open. Soft light from the building's windows only showed their highlighted features. Clint spotted Kate among them, black hair tied up to show a necklace the blond doubted was actually her's, smiling at the waiter by the door.

"..later?" Clint read the last word on his lips and the younger nodded, red trailing up the back of her neck.

The waiter let her through the door, Clint pushed past the couples to catch Kate by the arm. "You just gotta do one thing for me." He was almost pleading.

Kate barely bothering to look at his face before she was shaking her head. "I don't just gotta do anything, Clint." She scoffed, looking behind her as if she were nervous.

Clint ignored her. "Just tell Barney I got a headache, I'm in bed. Don't bother to check on me. Okay?" He smiled innocently before pushing back through the door, acting like he couldn't hear whatever she may have shouted to him.

* * *

Clint was almost shaking as him and Natasha stood on the darkened stage. A PA system overhead was red like someone was speaking over it, but the sound didn't even register. Natasha was positioned like they practiced, and the light was suddenly blinding him.

His eyes adjusted just in time to see her blink, forcing his foot to stay where it was until the counting in his head was synced with her blinking, and he stepped with her.

They showed off the simple moves they practiced so many times throughout the week, Clint twisting his heels and holding her hand to spin whenever it was called for. He felt the speakers through the stage on his feet, but he couldn't find a pulse. All that he could do was really hope his counting was right.

They pivoted across the stage, stepping together and Natasha nodding ever so slightly. Her smirk was one only put on for the show, and other people taking lessons with her. The redhead spun, looking at him for the moment they had to breath. "Relax." Her lips told him.

He listened, shoulders relaxing some but frame locked again within the next panicked look she sent him. Clint remembered what she taught him, letting her spin and using the time to recuperate, remember, and start stepping again.

They separated, Natasha doing her steps and Clint fumbling through his.

"Here!" She mouthed to him, Clint awkwardly making something up to glide towards her again and fall back into step. "Lift time." She whispered, pulling away from him.

A brighter light hit his back, casting a shadow that made him look ten times bigger than her. For the first time Clint's chest clenched, stomach churning as she started towards him. His hands collided with her waist but didn't move upwards as she sprung, leaving Clint to step away from her to avoid being landed on.

His breath caught in his throat, he saw the same nervousness in Natasha as they realized their mistake. He didn't lift and she didn't know how to fill the time.

"It's okay." She pushed the words out of her mouth and grabbed his hands, pushing him back to leave her room to spin on her toes a few times. "Keep going," She urged, falling into steps Clint recognized.

They ended the song, people clapping enough for Clint to feel it in the wooden stage, but pulled away from it soon after.

* * *

Clint felt like jumping out of the car as they rode home.

He pulled at his suit as Natasha drove, rain hitting the windshield around them. The nice fabric was sweaty as he pulled it off. Natasha drove with one hand and let her hair down. She pushed his arm with his free hand so Clint would look.

"You did good." She praised, darting her watch from the road to him. "Worked hard, we did good."

Clint let a breath, sitting back against the seat.

"By the second turn, you really had it." She smiled, almost looking sympathetic but quickly turning it genuine.

Clint shook his head, pulling the casual shirt over his head. "I didn't lift you."

"You did really well." She insisted, watching him climb over to the front passenger's seat right after the words left her mouth.

He watched her carefully, the window still broken from their last time in the car, blowing wind around them. Natasha's hair flew wildly around her face, curls brushing past her chin as she shook them away. Smooth skin almost shining in the dark, her shoulders curving into her arms as slender fingers curled around the wheel. Clint glanced towards the radio, a soft station playing that didn't reverberate enough through the speakers. The tension in his shoulders slowly melted away.

Natasha glanced towards him, soft light of headlights illuminating his features. A little disheveled, but she supposed that was the way he always was. But strong, Strong shoulders and strong arms and strong facial features in general. His eyes were striking, an odd color in the dark and a storm of blue and gray in the light. After having to insist he keep those eyes on her she couldn't help notice. The redhead smiled before turning back to the road.


	5. Bucky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of a shorter one today, but some heavy stuff goes on.

"Natasha!" As soon as the two had rolled back up to the staff cabins, Steve was racing towards them.

The redhead slipped out of the car, squinting in the dark to see Steve sprinting across the line of cabins, Clint following her eyes to the boy. Natasha slammed her door, moving over to put her hands on the gasping Steve's shoulder.

"You're going to hurt yourself, what it is?" She said slowly, Clint moving to see both of them clear under the light on the doors of the cabins.

"Come on," He wasted no time, pulling at Natasha's wrists to follow. Clint saw the worried lines etched in his face. "It's Bucky."

* * *

Other staff members were standing around, as if they were keeping guard of Bucky's cabin. Steve and Natasha squeezed through the door, pushing past other's.

"Waited...you..-ot back." The archer didn't catch everything but had a feeling he shouldn't ask for a repeat. Natasha mumbled something, Clint caught the heat but not the words, looking back to Steve. "He said they'd call the police. He made me promise."

Clint finally tore away from their faces, looking to the brunet on the bed. "Holy shit." The words left his mouth without a filter as he took in the scene.

Coated in sweat and past the point of tears, Bucky lie in the bed. Hair slicked back and wet, Natasha didn't hesitate to sit beside him and wrap his single hand in her's. Red stained across the left side of the bed, leading to a stump of what remained of his left arm, a sloppy, blood-stained coating of bandages lazily wrapped around the amputation.

Clint heard Steve start talking next to him and he whipped his head around the see.

"..use no ether. Nothing."

"I thought you said he was a  _real_  doctor." Clint scoffed, not caring what his place was.

Steve made a show of looking towards Clint. "The guy had a dirty knife and a folding table. I heard him  _screaming_  from the hallway." He moved again as Steve turned back to Natasha. "I swear to God, I tried to get in. I tried to help him-"

Clint didn't see what else was said, he turned to start out the door. Running back down the stone steps from the staff cabins and the little white bridge back to the resident's portion of Kellerman's. He sprinted the rest of the way to his own cabin, bursting through the door and nearly ripping the screen.

"Barney." He shook the older brother awake, watching him blink the sleep away.

"What-"

Clint turned again, grabbing one of their bags out of the trunks and tossing it into his chest. "You remember when you used to stitch me up? And when one of stagehands lost her foot?" Barney nodded, wheels in his head starting to turn. "This is something like that."

They ran barefoot back to the staff cabins, Barney pushing people out of the way like he was some kind of professional doctor. Clint stood back, Natasha moving away to send him a questioning look. He only nodded in return.

"Who's responsible for this kid?" Barney turned towards them, Natasha turning away from Clint to own up. "Everybody outta here." He barked at all of them.

They filed out to the porch, all glancing towards the light of the cabin throughout their waiting, like it'd go out any second. Most sitting in front of the steps or perched like cats on the railing. Steve paced rhythmically and kicked up dust.

Natasha was on Clint as soon as she stepped out, cornering him in front of the door.

"Does he know what the hell he's doing?"

Clint swallowed some, not backing down when she invaded his space. "He's done it before."

"When would he  _ever_  do anything like this-"

"The circus isn't as happy as people would think." He spat at her, if only to get her to listen. His tone softened. "People get hurt, we can't always pay for real doctors and he's the only one who knows how to stop bleeding fast enough."

Natasha stared for a few moments, relaxing her stance before moving away.

They waited a while longer, Clint leaning against the door of the cabin as if he could hear through it. When the lock released and the wood shook he pushed off it, Barney not even bothering to look at any of the staff before grabbing Clint by the shirt, dragging him away from the cabin.

"That's what my money paid for?" He questioned harshly, once they were back at the bridge at the bottom of the steps.

"I didn't lie to you." Clint neglected to mention that technically it was his money, but he really wasn't in the best position to piss him off.

Apparently it didn't work. Barney turned on his heel and shoved him hard in the chest, Clint stumbling back a step. "What part of 'don't fuck anything up' wasn't clear?" Clint frowned, Barney pressed on. "All you had to do was eat some food, play some golf. Go swimming, follow Kate around, I don't care. I've covered for you from Jacque all week, he's gonna be coming up soon and I am  _not_  gonna be there when you miss another practice and he finds you."

"Barney-"

"Don't ever be around those people again." He cut off his brother's plea. "You're lucky they won't be tellin' anyone or we're  _out_...Do you get that? We'd be done for, 'Amazing Hawkeye' or not. Carson finds out you have this kid money to get his armed ripped off and we're through!"

Clint tried again. Barney rarely yelled at him like this. "I didn't-"

"Don't you remember what that was like?" Barney's voice dropped, like if they mentioned it it would be happening all over again. "Before we found this place?"

Clint stayed silent, swallowing thickly as he tried to figure out what Barney wanted to hear.

But the older brother already turned back to the cabin.

* * *

The archer let out a breath, shoulders sagging as he knocked on the cabin door. Deliberately disobeying or not, he had words to say. Natasha opened the door sooner than he thought, only halfway clothed and hair disheveled, she swallowed and Clint saw how red her eyes were.

"Can I come in?"

She opened the door further and let him enter himself. Her cabin was small. Three paneled windows with the curtains blocking any view to be seen, two rugs on the ground filled with dust and looking older than Natasha herself. Furniture that definitely was just whatever the camp could afford and a single swinging light to illuminate the room.

"I.." Clint turned to face her through garbled sounds. "I guess it's not a great room, I bet you have a good room." She forced out quickly, nose twitching as she sniffed.

"It's a great room." Clint assured, standing awkwardly in the center. Natasha shook her head and moved some clothes off an old chair, Clint sitting after a gesture. She moved to take a needle off of the record Clint didn't know was playing. "Leave it on." He insisted, shrugging at her look.

He took a breath, Natasha moving to sit at the edge of her bed. For the first time she seemed to make herself small, running her fingers through her hair and sighing.

"I'm sorry." Clint started. "About my brother. He's-"

"He's great." She insisted, running a hand over her shoulder. "He was great. He..he knew what to do. He took care of James. He.."

"It's me it has to do with." Clint interrupted, continuing their game of insistencies. "My brother...me and my brother, it's not really easy. I mean, the circus is the only place we really have, and I might have just messed it up. I've been keeping him on just because he's my brother and I thought I owed him something, but-"

"No." Natasha swallowed, scoffing like she couldn't believe it. "He  _saved_  James. He didn't even flinch, and I..I did nothing. I didn't know what to do, I could just..I could never do anything like that. People treat me like I'm not nothing because I am nothing."

"That's not true!" Clint told her. "You..You're eveything."

"You don't understand Clint...The way it is, for someone like me. Last month I'm eating jujubes to stay alive, this month men are..men are taking me to their rooms with beautiful views and beautiful clothes and shoving  _diamonds_  into my pockets. I'm balancing on shit and I could be right back down there again in a second."

Clint shook his head. "It doesn't have to be like that. I know. I've been there, and I've fixed it before."

Natasha sighed, almost like she was tired. A smile graced her lips as she faced him again. "I've never met anyone like you. Looking at the world and you think you can make it better. Someone's hungry, you feed them and if someone's bleeding you-"

"I get my brother to save me, I know. Really brave, like you said."

"Well I was wrong!" Natasha shouted. "It took guts to go to him, I see it now. You're not afraid of anything."

"Me?" Clint almost laughed. "I'm scared 'a everything! I'm scared of what I saw, what I did. What I did with you, what I'm doing to my brother. I'm scared of not hearing everything, of getting left, of missing, of who I _am_!"

He let out a breath, Natasha smooth her hair against her neck.

"And most of all..Jeez, most of all I'm scared of leaving this room, and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel with  _you_."

He clenched his jaw, Natasha looking at her feet. They stood for a few moments, silent in the room as the record spun in the corner. Clint stood and took her hand, pulling it up to mimic a frame.

"Dance with me?"

She finally looked up to him, glancing around the room. "What, here?"

"Here."

The redhead slowly started to smile, fingers wrapping around his hand and other crawling up his chest to rest on his neck. She tapped the rhythm of the music for him, Clint stepping close enough so he had fold his neck to see her lips. She swung their hip to the beat. Slow, smooth movements as she pressed her lips close to his neck, Clint resting his chin against her temple as they moved.

His hands moved up her back, her's on his neck and running through his hair. Her fingers massages rhythmically through the blondness and pulled him down to her eye level, leg creeping up to wrap around his waist. Lips ghosted over each other until Clint leaned forward the inch needed to connect. They soaked each other in, Clint closing his eyes as his fingers curled against her back, breathing in the scent of everything.

Natasha pulled back first, keeping them swinging to the music as she raised his arms above his head, pulling his shirt off with it. Skin from her stomach and chest melted with his as they danced, Natasha bending back and Clint leaning forward to kiss her neck, hands trailing back to her back. Natasha stepped back as she lifted from her bend, hands going to pull Clint by the pants backwards with her.

He followed her steps, kissing her temple through the sea of red that was her curls, letting her guide him back towards the bed.


	6. Chapter 6

Barney didn't say a word to Clint during breakfast the next morning.

It was a nice day, one of the nicest ones since they've been at Kellerman's. Sun shining but it wasn't unbearably hot like it had been in Natasha's cabin or while they practiced. They sat on the balcony of the main building, nice doily-styled table clothes draped over their laps Ferns hung over the railing of the balcony and the occasional wind swept a few leaves onto the ground.

Clint had stared holes into his brother's unknowing body as he sipped on orange juice. Some waiter dropped a flyer at their table, the bright green words catching Clint's eye.

'Singers, dancers, actors, this is your lucky day! Auditions for the annual Kellerman's End of the Season Talent Show, beginning in the playhouse. Drop by..'

He'd stopped reading, the waiter speaking over them as he thumbed through the rest of his flyers. "..going to show?"

"We're leaving soon." Barney assured, ripping at his croissant with his teeth. He looked directly at Clint. "Train should be ready."

Kate placing her cup down on the table just harsh enough to shake it. "And miss the show?" She scoffed, Barney rolled his eyes but she continued on. "We can't leave!"

"Well it's not my decision!" He barked.

"I was going to sing." Kate countered, as if what she wanted to do would automatically stop them from leaving.

"It is the big event!" The waiter insisted, clapping Barney on the shoulder. "People bring their own arrangements, you don't want to miss it."

Clint sat back in his chair with a sigh. Kate argued some with Barney but he didn't pay attention, watching the lake's waves ripple on the front.

A tap on the shoulder made him look, seeing that it wasn't a tap at all. Barney had gotten up, Kate moving to follow at hitting him on the way. "I'm seeing Carson about this, we won't leave!" He caught her words as they moved, sighing before getting up himself, leaving his food uneaten.

* * *

It was still nice by the time he managed to get up to the staff cabins.

Over that white bridge and up the hill, past where he danced for the first time, and where they found Bucky just last night. The ones where the staff actually lived and slept where lined up tightly next to each other, painted a dark red and each looking exactly the same besides whatever items may be lying on the porch before the door.

He knocked on Bucky's door, before shaking his head and entering whether he was allowed to or not.

"Hi," Clint greeted quietly, the older boy wrapped up in some flannel on his bed. "You..you look much better." He nodded to him.

And it was true. The stump that was now his left arm was almost staring Clint right in the face, but it was clean now. Neat bandages wrapped it up and the red stains of blood were gone from the sheets. His hair pulled back into a bun instead of stringy and wet as he rested.

"Yeah?" Bucky shrugged, leaving his injured arm steady. "You just missed your brother."

"He was here?" Clint sounded surprised, but he didn't feel it. "Yeah, no. Good. He knows what to do, and he won't tell anyone." The blond swallowed thickly, pulling up a rickety stool to sit on and ringing his hands together. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't realize-"

"You couldn't have." Bucky assured, shaking his head. "No one knew, it's not your fault." The man on the bed looked towards the door, Clint followed his gaze to see Natasha step in the cabin.

"Hey," She greeted both of them, a warm smile to Bucky and a simple look to Clint.

"Tasha." Bucky greeted, letting her sit on the bed with him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, taking his remaining hand into her own.

"Good." He nodded, squeezing her fingers. "I'm gonna be fine."

A pause hung in the air after Natasha expressed her own relief. She sat so Clint could see her and Bucky could hear her, the archer staying perched on his stool.

"So." Bucky started again, looking between the both of them with light in his features. "How did it go last night?"

"Good." Natasha answered quickly, swallowing when she realized it was too fast.

Clint shrugged. "Fine." He added as well, Bucky looking from him, to Natasha, and back to him. "I..didn't do the lift. But it was good."

"Good." He nodded, looking between them again. Clint frowned, Natasha ran a hand over her arm and avoided eye contact with Clint.

They stayed like that for a few moments. Bucky kept looking to each of them, the air thick between the three.

"Well, I'm going to.." Clint coughed, wiping at his nose. "I guess I'm gonna go." He waited a few seconds, both of them staring at him, and he left through the door.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Bucky turned to Natasha as soon as the archer left.

"Don't worry about Max." The redhead assured, outlining the edges of his fingers with her own. "I tell him your grandmother died or something, give you some time."

"Yeah.  _That'll_  explain everything." The other dancer rolled his eyes. "Look at me." She listened, green eyes meeting his brown. "How many times have you told me not to get mixed up with them?"

"I know what I'm doing, James." She snapped back him, shaking her head.

Bucky sighed, pushing himself up on the bed to sit up. "Listen to me. You have to stop this. Now."

She only sighed, looking away from him again.

* * *

It rained.

It rained the next day, it rained the one after that. Thunderous, black clouds with blinding lightning striking every few moments kind of storming. Cracks of thunder so loud Clint could hear them just as easily as he could feel them in his chest. The lake flooded, one of the docks was overturned. No one was hurt. But the train could not be fixed (or the repairman would not work) while it rained. So they stayed.

Their cabin dripped, a wet spot on the edge of Clint's bed held his attention as Kate beautied herself in the mirror. Black hair that frizzed in the rain and was apparently the end of all things.

"I'm sick of this." She whined, spinning on the chair to face Clint, who poked at the spot on the blanket. She slapped his arm. "Remind me never to go to Niagra Falls."

"So, go to Acapulco." He deadpanned.

Barney sat in the corner, crossword sitting at the table as he hummed over the questions. Still no words to Clint. Kate muttered something about lipstick behind him, but he was already sliding off the bed, grabbing a rain jacket.

"Hey!" He heard the shout from his brother's voice and turned around before he could escape through the door. "Where're you goin'?"

"Ah.." He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "They have..charades. In the west lobby, thought I might..be good at it?" He gave him half a smile and didn't let either of them comment before slipping out to the pouring rain.

* * *

He had gone to Natasha's cabin. Really, it's predictable, but he couldn't stay away from her for this long. It was nice, they laid together, the redhead sprawled out on his bare chest. The rain and the humidity made her hair frizz, the red curls turning wild as they laid over his skin. She hummed with whatever song was spinning on the record player and Clint felt it through her chest and in his. The rain still poured on the roof and outside.

His fingers trailed across her bare back and he felt her smile. She pushed herself up so he could see her face, the smile causing him to mirror her's.

"You're different." She told him, moving to sit comfortably and wrapped in the sheets under her arms to cover her chest. "You know, like. Not like the other guests. How.." She paused, like she didn't know what to say. "How did you get to be in the circus?"

Clint waited for her to finish, shrugging when she was, and pulled himself up to meet her posture. "I mean..I don't know." He shrugged again, eyes wandering.

"I want to know."

"No, I want to tell you. It's just…" He sighed. "My dad.. he wasn't a really, great guy, and all that stuff. And he hit me and brother around pretty bad sometimes...I don't know. That kinda stuff. So, my brother, when he thought he was old enough, he took me and we ran from the house, started living on the streets, and...eventually, we found Carson's."

He shrugged, looking to Natasha. Her expression was nearly stoic, but she was listening, paying attention almost respectfully.

"I figured out how to shoot, and I was really good at it." Clint continued, smiling some. "Buck started really training me, making me more into a performer instead of an actual archer, but, it worked. I have my own act….Carson pays Barney because he's over twenty-one, and we can stay as long as we want to as long as we don't do anything stupid and I keep my act going."

Natasha nodded, smiling some as she took his hand to thread their fingers together. "Sound like you really did something."

Clint blinked at her. "Like what?"

"Made something of yourself."

The archer nearly snorted, Natasha slapped his bicep. "Yeah, Clinton Francis Barton: The American Dream."

"Francis?" Natasha laughed, pulling his chin back to look at her when he pulled away, like so many other times. "Really?"

"Yeah..I know." Clint laughed with her, shaking his head.

"No, no.." Natasha insisted, laughter fading but smile staying. "A real nice name."

* * *

"Hey!" Clint barely managed to catch Kate's sharp whisper through his sleep, the younger girl leaning over the space between their beds to shake him by the shoulders. "Wake up!" She encouraged.

Clint buried his head back into the pillow as moonlight spilled into their cabin. At some point the rain had stopped, leaving the bugs to come back out and chirp as loud as they please, though it was out of Clint's range. He groaned, rubbing his eyes before looking back to her through the darkness.

"Don't be like that." The girl rolled her eyes, bed lighted by the moon so Clint could just make her out. "I've decided something." She waited for the archer to ask, but went on when he didn't. "I've decided to go all the way with Robby."

"What?" Clint shook the sleep away, blinking to make sure he could really see what she was saying. "No! No, not with someone like him."

"Do you think…" Kate ignored him, brushing back her hair to drape over her white nightgown, the ruffles and all making Clint think she should feel hot in that thing. "That if we come back here for our 10th Anniversary it would be free?"

"It's just wrong this way." Clint tried to grab her attention back, sincerity in his voice. "It should be..it should be with someone..someone that, you sort of, love." He ended like he wasn't really sure, that it was just a guess his imagination dreamed up.

"Aw, come on." Kate snapped back at him, glancing worryingly over to Barney's cot. The older man moved but didn't wake. The girl rolled her eyes. "You don't care about me….You wouldn't care if I humped the entire circus, as long as I don't tell Carson anything bad you do."

Clint blinked, frowning at the other on the bed.

"What you care about," Kate continued, leaning back on her pillows to barely face Clint, forcing him up on his elbows to listen. "Is that your big brother doesn't come to the rescue every time now. He listens when  _I_  talk now, he gives  _me_  money for whatever I need."

The blond stayed quiet, barely catching her last words before Kate turned opposite of him on the bed.

"And you hate that."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this took a lot longer than I thought it would, and we still have 33 minutes left in the actual movie! Yay! 
> 
> Don't worry, I won't abandon this, just taking my time.


	7. Lover Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, six months break is bad. Real bad. But now's when the movie really kinda slows, but I will move on, and hope you enjoy!

Despite what had been said, the next day was as beautiful as ever. Guests outside on the lawn learning the bunny hop. Others playing a game of volleyball, inside it was just as nice.

The official dance lesson cabin was one of the nicests at Kellerman’s, besides the luxury ones for guests. White walls, a waxed floor and lots of light. And not even the lack of an air conditioner in the window could dampen Clint’s mood.

“Two, three, cha cha cha.” He chanted almost mockingly at Natasha as they danced around the cabin. She only smirked at him as they continued their playful steps, her hand creeping low on his back. “Hey!” Clint warned, pulling her hand back up. “My frame? Where’s my pleasing arc?”

Natasha stayed silent, her eyes speaking forward as her hands dropped to his waist, starting to advance closer to him, unlike their properly placed Cha Cha from before.

“Spaghetti arms!” He scolded, taking her hands to reset their frame. He put on a proper voice as he pushed Natasha back and started to lead. “Would you give me some tension, please?”

Again Natasha only had a smile on as she pushed forward again, sinking down to slide against him.

“You’re invading my dance space.” Clint warned, pushing her back and away from him. He gestured to the area between them. “This is my dance space, and this is your dance space.” He lined up their frames again. “Now let’s cha-cha.”

They faked dance for a few steps, Clint letting Natasha push him back and forth until they collided together, her tongue going for his neck.

“Ah-ah!” He took her chin and made her look up to him. “Eyes on me, look right here, never look down.” He shook his head as Natasha finally gave in, dancing with him smoothly for a few steps before they melted into each other again, hips clashing as he swung her around. Her lips sang the song playing from the record player, but he didn’t try to make it out.

She leaned forward for a kiss and Clint complied, closing his eyes for just a moment. She tensed in his arms and pushed away from him, like she was frightened. “What?” He frowned, Natasha backing towards the window to look out casually. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Neil, Kellerman’s kid, enter the room. Must’ve called for her.

Clint quickly lined up a frame, stepping forward and back like he properly practicing. “Clint?” Neil raised a brow, surprised to see him. “You’re taking dance lessons?” Clint stayed silent, but watched him as Neil started to foolishly step back and forth with his arms stretched out mockingly. “I could teach you, kid.”

Clint hummed, but went back to his faking.

Neil went over to Natasha by the window, asking her about something with the final show. The one Kate kept talking about. Her face lit up and Clint really started paying attention.

“Really?” She actually smiled. “I..I have a lot of ideas for dances they could do. I been working with staff kids, on this...kind of like a cross between Cuban rhythm and soul dancing. It’s amazing-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Neil stopped her before she could show him. “Way over your head here. The folks won’t like all that new-age stuff.”

Natasha frowned. “You just told me-”

“Look,” The Kellerman started talking slower, like she wouldn’t understand otherwise. “I was thinking...you always do the mambo. Now, how about for this year’s final dance,” He paused, looking at Clint like it was the greatest dramatic reveal in history. “Do the Pachenga?”

Neil smiled between the two of them, looking back at Natasha, who only glared. “Right.” She scoffed, folding her arms.

The other sighed, looking scoldingly at her. “Well, you’re free to do the same tired number as last year, if you want...but I’m afraid that means _next_ year we’ll find another dance person who’ll be too _happy_ to-”

“Sure, Neil.” Natasha cut him off, turning from him to grab her overshirt. “Whatever you say. We’ll end the season with the pachenga.” She glanced at Clint for a moment. “It’s a great idea.”

Neil blew out a breath between pursed lips, walking over to Clint. He leaned in like he was whispering, which honestly never really helped the archer too much. “Sometimes she’s hard to talk to....See she gives you the full half hour you’re paying her for, kid.” He slapped Clint’s shoulder and pointed to Natasha, backing out the cabin with a grin plastered on his face.

***

“The little wimp.”

Clint was sure that wasn’t what Natasha actually said, but she was moving pretty fast and he was almost behind her so he’s gotta improvise. They were walking back to the staff cabins through a small patch of woods, Natasha fuming from their conversation with Neil. “He wouldn’t know a new idea if it hit him in the pachenga. He wanted new ideas, I could’ve _told_ him new ideas.”

Clint sighed, jogging once to flip around and walk backwards. “Then why do you let him talk to you like that?”

“What?” Natasha scoffed, really looking at him. “Fight the boss man? Because that’s what you would do? Please, Clint, I’ve seen the way your brother talks to _you_.”

“Tell him your ideas. Fight hard.” Clint shrugged, mostly ignoring him. “He’s a person, too.”

“I know these people, Barton.” Natasha shook her head. “They are rich and they are _mean_. they don’t listen to me.”

“Make them listen, you made me listen.” He gave her a dumb grin, which was met with only a glare.

The redhead sighed, running her hands through her hair. “I need this goddamn job lined up for next summer.” She slowed down, Clint following until they eventually stopped. “You know, my uncle called me today and he told me ‘good news, I can finally get you into the union’.”

Clint saw her frown. “What union?”

Natasha looked to the ground and opened her mouth before remembering, and turned back to him. “The House Cleaners and Polishing Local Number 719, at your service.” Her tone was bitter, she crossed her arms.

Clint reached out his arm to lay a hand on her bicep, stroking it lightly before a movement caught the corner of his eye. Without warning he wrapped a hand around Natasha’s arm and pulled her down, hidden by a bush. He knew she was asking him what happened, but he ignored her.

Kate and Barney were walking out of whatever building, Robbie’s arm draped over the girl’s shoulder and Barney actually listening to whatever she was spouting off to him.

A tug on Clint’s shirt had him looking back to Natasha, the glare he was given was one of the more fiery ones he’s seen her dish out. “I don’t think they saw us.”

Natasha didn’t respond, looking away from him to rise from her squatted position. Clint sighed, rubbing the back of her neck before standing as well. Clint opened his mouth to say more, but the look on her face him guess she didn’t want to hear it.

“Fight hard, right?” She scoffed, looking him up and down.

Clint deflated, even though he almost towered over her, one look at he was reminded how much older she is. “I will tell him. It’s...me and my brother, it’s kinda complicated right now-”

“You’ll really tell him?” Natasha asked, crossing her arms once more.

“Yes!” Clint insisted, raising his brows. “I will tell him.”

Natasha stayed silent for a moment, before sighing. “I don’t think I believe you.” She shook her head, curls frizzed from the humidity. She paced in a circle and licked her lips. “I don’t think..I don’t think you have the intention of ever telling him.”

Clint shook his head. “It’s not like-”

“I love you.” She stopped him in his tracks, Clint’s mouth hung open dumbly at the words. Natasha swallowed. “But I also know what’s more important to you.”

The archer said nothing as Natasha turned, and started back to the staff cabin without him.

***

“It’s almost over.” Jacque informed him, a smug grin on his face. “Labor day weekend’s only a week away, and we’ll finally be gone from this place, train fixed and back performing.”

Clint looked back to polishing his bow. “Yeah, I guess.”

A light smack hit him on the back of his head. The boy looked up again to see his trainer unhappy. “This was not a vacation. You missed three times, the longer you’re here the more you’re distracted and the next show you’ll be booed from the ring if they’re disappointed.” He scolded.

Clint shrugged, rubbing at the limb of his bow again. “Booing never does anything to me.” Another smack. Not hard, but definitely pestering.

“The attitude can stay here too, Barton.” Jacque sighed, turning back to inspect his knives. He held out a hand and didn’t have to say a word before Clint was tossing him a rag. The older man turned back to the archer. “Like I said, labor day weekend. Don’t mess it up.”

"Hawkeye always wins Carson's ballot." Clint shrugged. He was only /slightly being boastful. 

It was something Carson did every show. Before the last act, hats were spread out among the crowd. A vote for which act they liked the best. Whoever one came out for one more sequence, loving applause, standing ovation. Only a year after Clint joined the show he was becoming the favorite of every crowd.

Jacque hummed, turning to polish his knife in front of the boy. He stepped smugly and leaned down the Clint like he was a child.

"So "Hawkeye" better not dare to lose his stride."

***

Once the Frenchman finally let him go for the day, Clint found his way to the staff cabins. Music played from the porches, staff smoked from chairs, and Clint scaled all the red little cabins lined up in a row until he found Bucky’s.

He knocked on the door, waiting a moment before the man opened his door, keeping his left side hidden from view.

“Hi.” Clint greeted awkwardly, shoving his hands in his pockets. “You seen Natasha?”

Bucky glanced behind him, before turning back to Clint and opening the door wider. Natasha was on his bed, legs and arms crossed like she was waiting for him to show up. She elegantly uncrossed both as Bucky shrugged at her. The redhead pushed past her old friend with a silent look and walked to the porch to join Clint.

The archer let her get into a position, Natasha staring out the rest of the cabins with her hands in her pockets. Clint draped his arms around her shoulders and kissed the side of her neck. “I’m sorry.” He whispered. "I love you."

Natasha said nothing, but tensed as a Robbie walked around the corner. “Well well well..” He hummed, crossing his arms and shaking the sweater that hung over his shoulders. “Looks like Natasha likes the circus too.” He huffed a laugh, all pleased with himself. “It’s alright Natasha, I’m getting a taste of the exotics, too. Maybe this one won’t lose a piece.”

Clint didn’t need to see another word come out of his mouth before he vaulted over the porch fence, Natasha yelling his name from behind. He landed lightly onto the grass, Robbie holding his arms out like he just figured out what Clint was doing, but was powerless to stop the archer from grabbing him by the collar.

“Clint!” He could just make out Natasha’s voice from behind him but for once he chose to ignore a voice. He threw Robbie to the ground, sending him a kick to the stomach. Robbie groaned from the pain but Clint picked him up again, a few punches and kicks went by like a blur before Natasha was pulling him off the waiter. “Stop!”

Clint threw another wild punch but hit nothing, Robbie on the ground and other members of the staff just watching him, amused looks on their faces.

“Get out of here!” Natasha yelled at the waiter. “You piece of crap, get out of here!”

Robbie scrambled to up, wiping a smear of blood off his face before starting away from the cabins. Clint released a breath, flexing his fingers out of fists and turning away, back to Natasha.

Bucky had closed his door again. Natasha started saying something to Clint but he ignored it, pushing her back and back to his own cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, the chapter's called Lover Boy even though I cut out the whole part where they sing the song but you know, that'd be a little weird to try and make a deaf man magically know a song and sing to it.


	8. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also if anyone's reading this on the day it's actually posted, I added a few things in previous chapters. Just some random things I like but the one from last chapter'll be important later.

Somehow Kate had managed to bully him into coming with her to practice for the show. She was singing, so who’s Clint to really mind, but by the look on his brother’s face when it was mentioned, told him more than enough about how much ‘talent’ she really had.

Someone managed to put him to work, handing him a paint brush and pointing to a fake cutout of a tree. They didn’t say anything else, just made sure he understood, like they didn’t even try to speak to him. Clint only sighed, and did what was ‘asked’ of him. The people here were worse than the ones in the circus, he’s actually starting to feel like he _wants_ to get out.

But it still wasn’t that bad here, like Barney said, it was the only vacation he’s gonna get. Painting a tree wouldn’t take away everything. So he did, Kate sang behind him. Natasha looked over some kind of paper.

Some man pecked the cheek of his wife as she gossipped with other women at a table. Clint recognized him, the one all over Natasha in the gazebo before he first found Bucky. He sent a wink to his wife before Natasha caught his eye, cleverly waiting for his wife to turn back to her talking before stepping over. He lit a cigarette, casually blowing smoke in her face. “This is the last night I’m here, you know.”

Clint clenched his teeth, turning away so he didn’t have to try and figure out what else he would say to her. He glanced again and the man was walking back to his wife, he couldn’t see Natasha’s face. She turned to face him and Clint quickly looked back to the tree. She sighed, going back down her list on the paper and moving to alert the next performer.

Someone handed her cash, Clint saw it was one of her older male ‘dance students’. He did watch, she looked at the money, swallowed just the slightest bit before saying something Clint couldn’t make out and then handing the money back. Clint smiled, just the smallest one he could manage.

Kate behind him continued some kind of chicken dance before going to her knees, ending her song. Clint felt her coming before her hand touched his shoulder and he turned to face her.

“Tonight’s the night.” She told him with a smirk. “Tonight’s the night I’ve decided for me and Robbie. He doesn’t even know yet.” She clasped her hands together. Kate waited for his reaction, but Clint stayed silent, trying to figure what to say. “Whatever.” She scoffed at him, getting up to walk away.

“Kate!” Clint try to call after her, but it was her time to pretend she didn’t hear anything.

***

Natasha laid on his chest, later that day. Some record playing but he didn’t mind it, just stroked her shoulder as they laid in bed together.

She sat up before speaking. “You wanna know something crazy?” Clint only watched her, shrugging some. “Last night, I..I dreamt we were walking along together, and we met your brother...and he swung his arm around the both of us, and… this is dumb.”

“It’s not.” Clint assured.

“I don’t know…” She sighed, moving forward to press a kiss to his lips. “I guess it would just be nice.”

When they were dressed, Clint walked her outside, lingering on the porch steps for a while, before she kissed him again as a goodbye.

***

“Hey.” Clint whispered a greeting to Kate, sitting outside their cabin in the morning. Her makeup was smeared, evidence of a lot of the stuff applied, but now running down her face. THe flower dress she had on was wrinkled, a few wet spots on it. “What happened?”

The girl sniffed, wiping her eyes with a cloth. “I should’ve listened to you.”

The archer shrugged, twisting to sit down on the steps with her. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

“Of course I know that.” She hiccuped again, wiping her eyes. “It was just...nice. To think, that we’re here, and people aren’t treating us like c _arnies_ -”

“Well, some of us.” Clint scoffed, Kate had managed to blend in well here. Some of the other’s in the circus crew, not so much. Most stayed in their cabins and came out for food, some of them weren’t comfortable in places like this. They were in the circus for a reason and they stayed for a reason.

Kate sighed, crossing her arms to cover her chest. “Just reminded what it used to be like. With my dad, you know? Maybe Robbie could’ve given me that again?”

Clint shrugged, letting out a sigh with her. “Well, your dad’s kind of a bastard, so. Maybe you just have bad taste.”

“Shut up, Clint.”

***

Clint didn’t hear when Barney asked him where he was all night, and he didn’t feel the need to answer. They ate breakfast without Kate, saying something about never coming out of the cabin again. A few of the wealthy men talked with Carson over their own breakfast. Clint hasn’t spoken to the man since they came here, but it was interesting to see how much a fat cat he could pretend to be.

“You hear Ivan got his wallet stolen last night?” One of them gossiped.

“Yeah, took it right out of his jacket.”

“I wonder how Max feels.” Carson grumbled.

“Probably so embarrassed, I hear they caught some dance girl with it. Natasha.”

Clint ignored Barney’s warning to quit eavesdropping on their boss.

“Poor lass, just desperate for some cash.”

“She was a thief, and she deserved to get fired.” Clint scoffed. Funny thing, coming from Carson.

“Was it really her, though?”

“Couldn’t provide an alibi. Said she was _reading_ in her room alone.”

“Trust me,” One of the men laughed. “There are no _books_ in Natasha’s room.”

“Well, not anymore. Got kicked out. Probably done packing by now.”

“Clint!”

The archer heard his brother’s voice, always a shock to him but it’s one of the only ones that he can catch. He didn’t flinch this time though, he continued his way to the table with Carson. “That’s not true.” He told all them, all the men startled at his sudden appearance at the table.

“I think you said that one didn’t talk.” One of the men asked Carson.

The ringmaster gritted his teeth, but Clint steeled himself. “He only talks when he’s got something he’s _sure_ he wants to say.” The older man gave him a look.

Again Clint let out a breath. “I know Natasha didn’t do it.”

“Stay out of this, Barton.” Carson warned.

“...will.” Now Clint flinched, Barney’s hand covering his shoulder and voice right next to his ear. Clint stared at him for a second, Barney giving him the same look his boss did. The older brother nearly dragged him away from the table.

“I need your help.” Clint asked once they were out of range.

“You just got it, I saved you from getting us kicked out of the damn carnival.” Barney was nearly spitting at him.

Clint shoved at his chest. “I know she didn’t do it. She can’t get fired.”

“I don’t _care_ , Clint. _We_ can’t get fired.” Barney glanced back at the table. Clint followed his gaze and swallowed hard.

“I know.” He patted his brother on the chest and went back to the table before he could stop him. “Natasha didn’t take the wallet. I know she didn’t because she was in her room all night. And I know this because I was with her.” Like a bandaid.

And if looks could kill, Carson just bludgeoned with a mace.

***

Clint could smell the beer on Barney as he sat down next to him on the dock before the lake. The older man had been giving him the silent treatment ever since breakfast this morning. And judging by the bottles in the sand, Barney’s been keeping himself busy.

The archer didn’t say anything, just sat, put his elbows on his knees. “I didn’t want this to happen.” Clint told him. Water rose and fell on the beams supporting the dock. Clint curled and uncurled his fingers, swallowing when Barney finally said something.

“You know,” He started, waiting for his brother to look at him properly. “If dad hadn’t done it already, I’d be beating the hearing out of you right now.”

Clint let out a shaky breath, not really sure if was a laugh or expression of fear. “Thanks.” Barney’s hand clapping his shoulder made him really flinch. Hiding his head in his arms.

He squeezed Clint’s shoulder until he looked at him again. “I’m not going to.” He assured, his brows drawn in sadly. Like it hurt to know that Clint thought he’d _actually_ do it.

“You should.” His younger brother said shakily, swallowing. Barney knew this look. “I just screwed us.”

“Nah..” Barney shook his head, having to look away for a moment. “You screwed a girl, kid. That’s not your fault. I’m glad you actually did it.”

“Shut up.” Clint shoved him, but no gentleness about it. “You were the one just yelling at me about this. You’re the one sayin’ not to screw anything up and I _did_ so you will just-”

“No.” Barney cut him off, leaning forward to come face to face with his brother. “You’re so stupid, Clint. You’re the dumbest little brother I could’ve had.” Clint licked his lips, but Barney didn’t let go of his shoulder. “And you’re the only damn reason we’re alive right now.”

Now, this was not what Clint came here to see his brother say.

“You’re the only reason we’re in this place, and it’s better you than me get us kicked out. Honestly, I thought it was gonna be me. So quit your whinin’, stop acting like you’re the sorriest little kid in the world, and we’re gonna figure this crap out.”

Clint stayed silent. Out of shock, or out of confusion, maybe a little a both. For years in his eyes Barney had taken care of him. After their parents died, _he’s_ the only one who looked out for Clint, made sure he had something to eat, somewhere at least a little safe to sleep, away from orphanages they would’ve been worse off in. Apparently not how the older man saw it. It never really occurred to him that Clint was what was actually saving Barney for all these years in the circus.

“Time I actually owned up to being your big brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sappy, and not really anything how it went in the movie, but artistic liberties and all that.

**Author's Note:**

> Also Skinny Steve because it makes sense how he couldn't carry a watermelon. Not that it matters to much anyway.


End file.
